Absorbent articles for the absorption of fluids aim to be comfortable to the consumer. This traditionally represents the use of thinner materials while increasing absorption. Increased comfort may also be achieved through the use of channels and cuts into the absorbent core to create flexible zones that may include removing parts of the absorbent core. A goal of increased comfort is to create an absorbent article that is garment-like to the consumer while still protecting the consumer.
Traditionally, as a consumer wears an absorbent product and fluid enters the product the structural properties of the absorbent core and product change and degrade. This is because, the material will traditionally either lose its structural integrity or become less flexible, bunch together and unable to retain its shape as it absorbs the fluid, dependent upon the composition of the absorbent article. Further, many absorbent products may become more noticeable, with wearing, to the consumer making them aware that they are using an absorbent product and that the product is changing and may no longer function as well as it originally did.
The loss of structural integrity or loss of flexibility or inability to maintain shape and compression recovery leads to a tradeoff between comfort and protection. Absorbent core structures that loss structural integrity tend to lose wet resiliency leading to a loss of consumer confidence in the products ability to protect and absorb. Absorbent cores that lose flexibility due to their composition may become uncomfortable as they are no longer garment like. Hence, there exists a need to create an absorbent core that balances comfort with protection such that it may handle subsequent insults without the consumer feeling that the product will not protect them and/or be uncomfortable to use.
The response of an absorbent structure (or article) to body induced mechanical compression while wearing is referred to as its bunched compression response. Bunched compression can be an important factor with regard to the overall comfort associated with wearing an absorbent article. Ideally measuring the Bunched compression response would allow one to determine peak forces required to compress an absorbent structure as well as determine the stored energy available to drive a products shape recovery or “Energy of Recovery” following a compression of the article when in use With regard to bunched compression of an absorbent structure during wear, it can be difficult to predict all the possible movements and positions that the consumer will make while using the absorbent article. These can impact whether the consumer feels the absorbent article and/or finds the absorbent article comfortable. It is therefore desired to develop a method for evaluating the bunched compression response of an absorbent article or portions of an absorbent article or an absorbent core structure that provides an indication as to the compression of the absorbent article during wear.
Further, there exists a need to create an absorbent structure that is sufficiently flexible before use and is still capable of maintaining its structural integrity after multiple insults as exhibited by the absorbent structure's recovery energy after multiple test cycles.
Further, there exists a need to create a method for the creation of an absorbent structure that becomes or maintains its flexibility while absorbing the fluids therefore allowing one to model the product according to the consumer's needs.